Lebanon: Hezbollah tests the state's resolve... as security forces respond
A widespread security presence in Beirut and the southern suburbs to deter Hezbollah's attempts to disrupt raids, alongside visits by international diplomats.
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
Lebanese security forces carried out a widespread deployment yesterday along the road to Rafic Hariri International Airport and at the entrances to Beirut’s southern suburbs, following a tense night during which Hezbollah gunmen attempted to prevent security agencies from raiding a suspicious warehouse rumored to contain Iranian drugs.
Hezbollah, which continues to defy government decisions and international resolutions by clinging to its arsenal, launched a military deployment the evening before yesterday in the Ghazir area of the southern suburbs, in an overt attempt to obstruct security agencies from carrying out their duties in raiding the suspicious warehouse. However, the state’s and security agencies’ decisive stance forced Hezbollah to back down.
Tensions persisted until the early hours of Saturday night. As is their custom, Hezbollah supporters resorted to provocation, riding motorcycles through various streets of the capital, Beirut, prompting security forces to deploy widely across different parts of the city to prevent any further actions. Competent authorities issued judicial summons against the gunmen who obstructed the work of security agencies.
In recent days, Lebanese authorities had taken a series of firm measures against Hezbollah, including the confiscation of suspicious explosives suspected of being used in assassinations. Hezbollah not only admitted responsibility for one of these shipments but also demanded their return, claiming they were intended for use against Israel in the south.
Meanwhile, the pro-Hezbollah newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had requested the military intelligence agency to expand its investigation into the explosives truck case. The newspaper claimed that the Distinguished Prosecutor General, Rami Al-Hajj, had issued judicial summons to security agencies to arrest Hezbollah’s Liaison and Coordination Committee head, Hussein Abdullah, and his deputy, Ali Ayoub, based on their knowledge of the explosives truck case, which was stopped at the Dahr al-Bider checkpoint. Judicial sources denied the accuracy of this information.
At the same time, information indicated that efforts to encircle all Hezbollah institutions would continue and would not be limited to weapons but would extend to finances. Hezbollah had leaked information about receiving Iranian funds, only to later announce modest compensation for those affected by its entry into the war alongside Iran.
On the political level, Lebanon has received numerous signals indicating that the region may be heading toward significant escalation, and that Lebanon must protect itself and avoid being drawn into any confrontation. In this context, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman visited Beirut, as did the unscheduled visit of French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barro, which comes ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s tour of Gulf states amid the regional escalation and the ongoing war in Yemen.
